When Naomi* met Steve he seemed like the perfect partner . At the time she was working hard in her dream career in retail management. She felt that life was good.
But slowly, things began to change. Steve began to call her names, criticise her, put her down. Nothing she could do was right. Small words, little comments, making her question everything. Over time all her confidence was gone.
She began to see less of her friends and family. Steve gaslighted her, telling her that they didn’t like her and he was the only one that did.
When he suggested that she leave her job she was confused. She didn’t know what to do. The pressure continued until she relented. Now she had left her job she was reliant on him, with no money of her own. She felt trapped.
When Naomi left, she was unsure how to start again. She missed work, she wanted a career and the freedom of being in control of her own finances. She contacted our RISE team, we listened and told her that it was never too late to start again.
We helped Naomi update her CV, we held mock interviews where she could practice explaining why she left her job and wanted to get back into work. We helped her believe that, that she was intelligent, strong and worthy and none of the terrible things that Steve had told her she was. When she felt ready, we helped her to apply for jobs.
It took just a few interviews, before she was offered a job. One with a future and in the profession she loved. But, there was one more hurdle. To accept the job, Naomi had to fill in forms explaining why she had left her previous job and why she had a gap in her employment. We contacted the HR team and explained the situation and how revisiting the past might be a trigger for Naomi. They understood and accepted the forms without the explanation. Now, Naomi is back in work, in control of her own life and looking forward to the future ahead.
